


When I See an Elephant Fly

by zubeneschamali



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Kidnapped!Jared, Kids, M/M, were-elephant!Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: Written for spn_cinema. Jensen rescues a captive were-elephant from the circus, but the story doesn't end there. Jared has to adjust to being human again, and then there's the fact that the circus might not let him go so easily…
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 27
Kudos: 256
Collections: SPN Cinema





	When I See an Elephant Fly

**Author's Note:**

> I asked my Twitter feed what I should do for spn_cinema, and tebtosca promptly said, "Dumbo with were-elephant!Jared." I can't resist an unusual were prompt, so I was doomed. This is only based on the movie to the extent that there is an elephant named Dumbo who can fly, so don't worry if you're not familiar with the story. Elephant-sized thanks to fiercelynormal who doesn't go here anymore but was still willing to beta for me. I guess I know what she likes. ;)

"Can we go now, Uncle Jensen? Please?"

"As soon as your sister's ready," Jensen said. Over his shoulder, he called, "Lily, are you ready?"

"Not yet!" came a cheerful voice from the bathroom.

Jensen sighed and looked down at his eight-year-old nephew. "Guess it'll still be a few minutes."

Kyle's face scrunched up in a frown. Then he hurried down the hallway and banged on the bathroom door. "Come _on_ , Lily, let's _go_!"

In response, she shrieked and pounded back on the door from the inside. 

Next to Jensen at the kitchen island, his brother Tim chuckled. "You sure you want to deal with these two all day?"

"What are you talking about? I love them." Jensen shot him a quick grin. "Besides, once we get to the circus, they'll be enthralled. They always are."

"Kyle's been looking forward to it for weeks, wanting to know when the circus was coming back and when Uncle Jensen was coming to visit. If he was a little younger, I'd wonder if he thought you were part of the circus. This is what, the fourth year you've taken them?"

Jensen grinned. "It's one of the perks of teaching: I can come up here where it's cooler every summer for a few weeks. If it so happens that the circus is in town every year at the same time, so be it."

"Well, we really appreciate it. It's hard figuring out what to do with them every day for those of us who don't get the summer off like you do." Tim ducked Jensen's intended punch to his arm, well aware that just because Jensen wasn't paid over the summer didn't mean he didn't have plenty of work to do. 

Lily chose that moment to emerge from the bathroom, a pink hat perched on her head with a giant flower in the front. "Can we go now?" she asked.

Behind her, Kyle rolled his eyes so hard that Jensen was afraid it might hurt. "Whenever you're ready, darlin'."

She giggled like she always did when Jensen brought out his accent. It had mostly faded from Tim's speech after a decade in Wisconsin, but since Jensen still lived in Texas, he was steeped in it on a regular basis. "Then come on!"

They filed out into the driveway, where Tim handed over the keys to the family's minivan. "Easier than moving the car seat to your rental," he said.

"And oh, so stylish," Jensen teased back. The kids hopped into their usual seats, Lily bragging that she was old enough not to need a car seat anymore. That set Kyle off, and by the time Jensen shushed them and turned the car on, Tim had escaped back into the house.

Jensen took a deep breath. "Who's ready for the circus?"

"Me!" both kids shouted, and on that note, he pulled out of the driveway.

It was a thirty minute drive to the fields outside of town where the circus was set up. It wasn't always in the same spot; different farmers hosted it in different years, but it was always somewhere around the little town where Jensen's brother and his family lived.

That meant the "parking lot" was always a grassy field, and Jensen was grateful it hadn't rained in a while. They bumped across the field where they were directed, pulling up next to a pickup with multiple kids piling out of the back. He waited until the vehicle after them had pulled in before unlocking the doors of the minivan and getting Lily and Kyle out.

They instantly took off towards the entrance, and Jensen had to break into a jog to catch up. They joined the line, which seemed longer than it had it had in the past.

He said so out loud, and Kyle replied, "That's because Dumbo is here!"

"Dumbo?"

"Uncle Jensen." Lily rolled her eyes. "How do you not know about Dumbo?"

"All right, I give up. Who's Dumbo?"

At that moment, there was a loud trumpeting sound from inside the circus fence. The kids craned their heads, and Jensen did, too. Not far inside, between the two biggest tents, he saw an elephant being led inside the big top. It looked like just any other elephant at first: legs like tree trunks and long trunk curled up under its face, skin wrinkled like it had spent hours in a bathtub. Then Jensen realized how big its ears were.

"That's him!" Lily shouted. "Hi, Dumbo!"

Instantly, the other kids in line started to shout along with her. The elephant didn't respond, and their calls eventually died off, including Lily and Kyle's, and they shuffled through the line and entered the circus.

Most of the attractions were the same as last year, so they headed into the big top early to get good seats. Jensen judged that he could leave them alone for ten minutes while he went and got popcorn, and sure enough, they were fine. The popcorn was soon empty, but before they could start pleading for more, the show started.

Even if the trapeze artists were the same as last year, they were still thrilling to watch. The clowns made everyone laugh—except Kyle, who hid his face in Jensen's chest until they left the stage—and the lion tamer was magnificent.

The elephant show was pretty interesting, though. Especially the part where the spotlight revealed one elephant with huge ears perched on top of the trapeze tower. The crowd gasped in unison, and Lily asked worriedly, "How's he going to get down, Uncle Jensen?"

Before he could think of an answer, Dumbo showed them. He lifted his ears and… _flew_. Okay, glided, but still, his descent to the stage was so much gentler than it had any right to be. Jensen was dumbfounded, but he clapped loudly along with everyone else.

After the show, Lily and Kyle peppered Jensen with questions, but he had no idea how to answer most of them. Elephants weren't supposed to be able to fly. Even with ears that large, it was a tremendous amount of weight to keep in the air. He'd been watching for a harness or wires, but he hadn’t seen any. Even if he had, he wouldn't have wanted to spoil the magic for his niece and nephew. 

They went through the rides and played a couple of carnival games afterwards, so that by the time they left, the parking lot was mostly empty. They were way off on the side, and they were only halfway to the car when Lily called out, "Look, Uncle Jensen, it's Dumbo!" 

Jensen squinted in the bright sunlight. At the far edge of the parking lot, where the fence around the circus turned a corner, there was a small stand of trees. He would have thought the large grey lump in the shade was a tent or a shed, except for the large ears that were being held up to provide further shade.

"Dumbo!" Kyle shrieked. Instantly, he was running towards the fence. Lily followed only a second later.

"Come on, kids, we shouldn't bother him," Jensen tried, but they didn't slow their dash towards the fence. Breaking into a jog, he caught up with them just as they reached the chain link fence. Their small fingers clutched at the fence as they excitedly called to the elephant, who was only about twenty feet away. 

One large eye opened in their direction, and Kyle clapped his hands together. "Dumbo!"

"Don't bother him," Jensen said again. "He probably thinks we have food or something for him, and when he realizes we don't, he'll be upset." And a very large, upset elephant on the other side of a flimsy chain link fence was not something he wanted to deal with.

"But he looks so sad," Lily said. "He doesn't have anyone to talk to out here. But he did such a good job in the show. We really liked it!"

Dumbo's big ears perked up at that, and Jensen blinked. Could the elephant understand what they were saying? He knew they were pretty smart animals, but that would be pushing it. 

"Dumbo, fly for us!"

"No, no, Kyle, don't do that." Jensen put his hand on Kyle's shoulder to calm him down. "He's not working right now. He's trying to rest. Like when you get tired after baseball practice."

"Oh, okay." Kyle grabbed at the fence again. "I wish we had a snack for him. I'm always hungry after practice."

"Me, too," Lily said. Her fingers were entwined in the chain link. "But they probably fed him, right? After the show?"

"I'm sure they did," Jensen reassured her. 

Dumbo was shifting towards them, Jensen suddenly realized with alarm. He was rising to his feet, those huge ears of his stirring up the dust around him. Jensen took a step back from the fence. "Guys, maybe we should let him rest."

When Dumbo raised his trunk and trumpeted softly, it sounded almost sad. It certainly didn't sound threatening, and Jensen found himself reaching for the fence. The elephant came a few shuffling steps closer before sinking to his knees again. His trunk reached out, brushing over Kyle's fingers and then Lily's where they were curled around the fence. They both giggled. 

Jensen held his breath, and a moment later, he felt the touch on his own hand. It wasn't wet or sloppy, but it wasn't dry and raspy, either. He suddenly had the oddest feeling that Dumbo just wanted human contact.

"Do they not give you enough hugs in there?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The look that Dumbo gave him could be described as nothing but reproachful.

Jensen opened his mouth to apologize when he realized how ridiculous that was. It wasn't like the elephant could understand his words, much less the concept of sarcasm. He knew elephants were pretty smart, but they weren't able to comprehend human language.

Dumbo drew back into the shade, still watching them. He slowly sank back to the ground, lifting his ears again for shade. He looked exhausted, and Jensen felt bad for him. Even if he'd just glided down to the ground, it probably took a lot of energy to use his ears like that. The poor thing probably needed rest, especially with another show scheduled for tonight before the circus packed up and left town, and here they were bugging him. 

As Jensen watched, the elephant lifted his head, trunk briefly uncurling overhead. And Jensen saw something that made his breath catch. He squinted, trying to look closer. The elephant had had a red, white, and blue collar around his neck during the show, but now there was a metal band that looked narrower. It also looked shiny, like silver. 

Jensen's stomach dropped. It couldn't be. He looked quickly at the kids to see if they'd noticed, but they were already growing bored and had started arguing about what they wanted for dinner. Jensen kept looking at Dumbo, trying to make out what was around his neck, until the elephant lowered his head again.

The look that the elephant gave him was a mixture of sadness and resignation, and it had Jensen's head spinning. "Sorry, buddy," he said, feeling bad for leaving, but knowing there was nothing he could do.

All the way home, it troubled him, and at dinner, he was quiet while the kids chattered about the circus. Afterwards, when he was helping to fill the dishwasher, Tim asked, "Everything go okay today?"

"Yeah, it was fine," Jensen assured him. "We had a good time. Lily and Kyle are always fun."

"You just say that because you don't have to live with them," Tim teased. He waited a moment before going on, "You seem awfully quiet, though."

"Yeah, just…I don't know. There's something I saw, and I don't know what to do about it. If there's anything _to_ do about it."

"Something at the circus?" When Jensen nodded, Tim threw a glance over his shoulder to make sure the kids had left the dining room table. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What was it?"

"Dumbo, the big elephant with the…" Jensen waved his hands at the side of his head, and Tim nodded. "We saw him afterwards, off by himself. And I swear he had a silver collar on."

Tim frowned. "That can't be."

"Well, it was something shiny. Why would he need to be collared unless it was to keep him an elephant?"

Tim scoffed. "Jensen, just because it was wearing a shiny collar doesn't mean it was a were. In fact, it can't be a were. It's against the Accords to keep a were in its animal form like that."

"Yeah, I know that. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen from time to time, though."

"There's no way. The Wolves would lose their _shit_ if they knew a were was captive and being put on display. You know how often zoos and circuses and the like are inspected to make sure they only have pure animals."

Jensen bit his lip. "So I shouldn't go to the cops with this."

"You're serious?" Tim put down the spatula. "Jensen, that circus goes around the country all year long. If they were keeping a captive were, someone would have noticed by now."

"Maybe no one's gotten close enough," Jensen said. "Or maybe they're so blown over by its big ears that they don't look too closely at it. Him."

"You think the whole circus is keeping this a secret? There's probably a hundred people who work there, off and on. No way that nobody would have ratted them out by now."

"Yeah, I guess." Jensen shrugged. "No, you're probably right."

"I'm your big brother, I'm always right."

Jensen pretended to slug him, and they briefly shoved at each other until a glass nearly went flying off the countertop. Then they finished the dishes like the grownups they were and went into the living room to watch TV with the kids. 

Later that night, Jensen couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking about that collar he'd seen around Dumbo's neck and how sad the elephant had looked. Tim's words rang in his ears, that it would be impossible to keep something like a captive were a secret. But what if only a few people knew? Or worse, what if others knew but didn't care?

Before Jensen knew it, he was slipping out the front door, keys in his hand, ready to go back to the circus.

The moonlight was bright enough to see by as Jensen drove into the field with his headlights off. He was muttering under his breath the whole time, telling himself how crazy this was and that he'd be lucky not to get caught and that there was no way he was right about this.

But he kept seeing that mournful, bereft look in Dumbo's eyes, and he knew he had to at least give this a try.

To his delight, the chain link fence had already been unrolled on the outskirts of the circus. No more paying customers to worry about, he supposed, and the animals were restrained anyway. That made it easy to slip onto the grounds and towards the tree where Dumbo had been earlier.

Surprisingly, he was still there, a dark shape looming in the moonlight. Jensen moved forward cautiously until he was within speaking range. Casting a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one else was around, he softly called out, "Dumbo?"

The elephant was sitting up in a slouch, head bowed and trunk curled near his feet. When he heard Jensen's voice, he looked up sharply, trunk uncurling. Jensen braced himself for the trumpeting sound that would give him away, but Dumbo seemed to sense the need for stealth and stayed quiet, eyes tracking Jensen as he came closer.

Slowly, one step at a time, Jensen inched forward. He dug a hand in his pocket and as he came within reach, he held out a handful of peanuts.

Dumbo's nostrils flared. Wary eyes on Jensen, he slowly moved his trunk forward until it was over Jensen's hand. With a quick, wet suction, he pulled the peanuts off Jensen's hand before retreating to his slouch.

Jensen grinned. "There you go," he said softly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help."

Moving slowly, he took the backpack off his shoulder and rummaged through it. He'd brought a couple of different tools, not knowing what he was going to find. The bolt cutters were probably the best bet, but he didn't know if the elephant would let him close enough with something so large.

Sure enough, when he pulled them out, Dumbo shifted backwards, stumbling before rising to all fours. He still didn't make a sound.

Jensen raised his hands. "Easy there, big guy. I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear. It's for your collar. I don't think it's supposed to be on you, and I want to help you get it off."

Dumbo eyed him for a long moment. Jensen stood there quietly, letting him look. If he was right, and it was a were-elephant in front of him, he would understand Jensen's words and presumably let him go to work.

If he was wrong, well, hopefully he could run fast enough to get away.

A few moments passed. Then Dumbo slowly lowered himself again until he was resting on the ground. He stretched out his neck, one eye regarding Jensen as if to say, _Go ahead, give it your best shot._

Jensen came closer, first resting a hand on Dumbo's skin. It was warm and dry, a bit rough under his fingertips. He slowly held up the bolt cutters, and Dumbo shifted a little but didn't move away. Leaning up, Jensen grabbed a hold of the collar.

It was too thick to cut through, he could tell at a glance. That didn't mean he couldn't remove it, though. And it was definitely silver, given the way it was chafing the skin underneath it. "No wonder they have to wrap this thing up in ribbons, right?" Jensen murmured. "Have to make it thick enough so no one can see how much it's hurting you."

The soft trumpeting sound he got in response made him pat the elephant's shoulder as soothingly as he could. "Where's the lock, buddy?" he asked softly. "There has to be a padlock on this thing, right?"

He wasn't even surprised when Dumbo lifted his head, baring his neck and showing the padlock keeping the collar closed, right at his throat.

Moving quickly, Jensen fitted the bolt cutters around the padlock. With a quick under-his-breath prayer, he snapped the shank of the lock with a single, sharp movement. Tossing the bolt cutters behind him, he pulled the padlock free. Then, taking a deep breath, he pulled the collar wide open.

Instantly, Dumbo reared backwards. He tossed his head back and forth, and after a moment, the collar went flying off into the night. Jensen had only a second to wonder if he'd made a mistake before the air above him was shimmering and sparking. 

He'd been around weres before, of course. Everyone had. It wasn't like they were a significant percentage of the population, but even the smallest towns usually had a family or two. They didn't often change in front of other people, and Jensen had never been close enough friends with a were to see it happen. But he knew how it worked.

He took a step back, then another. The elephant was fading from view against the night sky, the intensity of the shimmering growing stronger. There was a soft _pop_ , a sudden gust of wind, and then everything went quiet.

And curled up on the ground was a naked young man, looking wide-eyed at Jensen.

"Shit," he muttered. "Way to forget the obvious, Jensen." He quickly shrugged off his jacket and held it out. "I'm sorry, I didn't think to bring you clothes."

The young man didn't respond. He had dark brown hair, long enough to curl at the back of his neck and nearly obscuring his eyes. He reached out for the jacket and wrapped it around himself, shivering. 

Over the edge of the collar, Jensen could see lines of red abrasions around his neck, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. "Um, we should get going. In case someone comes looking for you."

The young man looked around sharply. He opened his mouth, then shook his head in frustration. Eyes pleading, he looked up at Jensen.

Jensen might not have known any weres personally, but if the kid couldn't even speak, that said bad things about the amount of time he'd spent in captivity. "Can you stand?" he asked gently, forcing his hands to relax. "Do you need me to help you?"

He looked like he was thinking for a moment, and then he slowly shook his head. Carefully, keeping the jacket wrapped around his shoulders, he rose up to his knees. Concentrating hard, he put one foot on the ground and pushed himself upright.

"That's great," Jensen said, reaching out in case the kid faltered. 

But he stood up on his two feet, looking around and sniffing the air, glancing at his hands where they clutched the edges of Jensen's jacket. After a moment, he swallowed, hard. In a raspy voice, he asked, "Who…are you?"

Okay, maybe he wasn't as bad off as Jensen had thought. "My name is Jensen," he said with a warm smile. "I saw you—well, we saw the show earlier. My niece and nephew and I. We saw you afterwards, too. I don't know if you remember."

"The fence." 

"That's right. We saw you through the fence. I saw the collar and thought—well, I guess I was right."

The young man's eyes darkened. "What…you want...with me?"

"Do you want to leave?" Jensen asked, watching him intently. "Are they holding you against your will?"

He nodded, expression grim.

"Then come on." Jensen gestured towards his truck. "We should get you out of here."

He hesitated for a moment, but then he huddled more tightly under the jacket and started to walk.

Jensen kept an eye on him in case he stumbled, but he seemed to be managing on two legs just fine. "It's all right. We'll get you some clothes and figure out what's next, okay?"

"Okay." They were almost to the car when he came to a stop. "Jared," he said, putting a hand to his chest.

Jensen grinned at him. "Jared. It's nice to meet you."

They were almost home when Jensen realized he had no "home" to take Jared to. What was his brother going to think when he showed up in the middle of the night with a naked stranger?

By the time he pulled in the driveway, he had a plan. He turned off the truck and turned to Jared. "Can you wait here a minute?"

Jared looked up at the suburban ranch house in front of them. "Your house?"

"No, my brother's. I'm visiting his family like I do every summer. I'm from Texas, not from around here."

Jared's eyes lit up. "Me, too!" Then his face fell. "Before."

"That's where you lived before…they took you?"

Jared nodded, head falling forward so that his hair obscured his face.

"Hey, it's okay," Jensen said gently. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." He waited for a moment and then went on, "I'm going to go inside and get you some clothes, all right? Maybe explain to my brother what's going on if he sees me?"

Jared shot him a wary look, but he didn't say anything.

"It's all right, we can trust him." Jensen gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back."

He let himself in with the key Tim had lent him, moving as quietly as he could through the silent house. He grabbed a spare pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from his dresser and was almost to the front door when he heard a noise behind him.

He turned around to see Lily standing in the hallway, rubbing her eyes. "Uncle Jensen?"

"Hey, Lily," he said softly. "You should be asleep."

"Why are you up?"

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Go back to bed."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Where are you going?"

Jensen sighed. "I found someone who needs my help. I was hoping he could stay here for a little while, if that's all right with your mom and dad."

"Who is he?"

"I'll explain in the morning. Just go back to bed, okay?"

Her eyes narrowed. Twelve years old, and she was clearly as stubborn as any Ackles had ever been. "I want to meet him."

Before Jensen could do anything, she slipped past him and out the front door.

"Lily, wait!" he hissed, running after her while he clutched the clothes in one hand.

Out in the driveway, Jared was standing next to the truck, jacket tied around his waist. He straightened up as Lily approached, looking at Jensen in alarm.

Lily's eyes were wide as she came to a stop in front of Jared. "Dumbo?"

Jensen stared down at her. "What?"

"I saw you," Jared said slowly to Lily. "With Jensen. At the fence."

"How did you know that?" Jensen asked her, realizing there was no point in denying it if Jared was admitting it.

She actually rolled her eyes. "I heard you talking to Daddy. You were going to go and rescue him."

Jensen stared at her, dumbfounded. "You know about weres?"

"Don't you remember anything about school, Uncle Jensen? We learned all about the Accords last year, and about how weres are never supposed to be kept as animals, and that we should always tell an adult if we think someone's doing that, because it's wrong." Lily turned to Jared, her lower lip suddenly trembling. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know you weren't really an elephant."

There was a slow smile creeping across Jared's face, putting dimples into his cheeks. "It's okay," he said hoarsely. "I'm an elephant sometimes."

"Uncle Jensen can help you now," she said. "And you can stay here as long as you want. Or you can stay with him. He has a big house with a lot of space around it." She spread her arms wide. "No one would bother you at the full moon."

"Okay, Lily, why don't we get you back inside." Jensen put a hand on her shoulder and offered the clothes in his other hand to Jared. "You want to put those on, and I'll be right back?"

Jared nodded, and Jensen steered Lily inside with both hands on her shoulders. No one else was awake, and she went to her room quietly enough. 

Fortunately, the guest room where Jensen was staying had two twin beds. After entering the room, Jared barely paused before heading towards the bed that was still made up, stretching out across it so that his arms and legs draped over the sides, burrowing into the pillows with a snuffling noise.

Jensen chuckled, but it was a sad sound. Who knew how long it had been since the kid had been able to sleep on anything but straw? 

He shucked off his shirt and climbed into bed, turning off the light on the nightstand. He could hear Jared's breathing evening out almost immediately, and he started to relax as well. He was surprised Jared was so trusting, given he'd been kidnapped before. Maybe he was so grateful to be out that he wasn't thinking any farther ahead than that.

Not that Jensen was thinking any farther ahead himself. Lily was right, though—he had enough room at home, on what used to be his grandparents' farm. And Jared had said he was from Texas—maybe he'd want to go home? Thoughts kept chasing their way through Jensen's head, but finally, he fell asleep. 

It seemed like only a moment later than someone was shaking his shoulder.

He sat up, blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes. "What time's it?"

"Time for you to explain what's going on."

He looked up sharply. Tim was standing over him, hands on his hips. Lily was in the doorway, still in her pajamas. A quick look at the clock told him it was seven in the morning—and Jared was still passed out in the other bed.

Jensen took a deep breath and started to climb out of bed. "Let's talk in the kitchen."

"Kyle's up," Tim said in reply.

"He's too little," Lily added. "He hasn't learned about you-know-what in school yet."

Jensen sighed. "Lily, can you let your dad and me talk alone?"

She made a face, but she turned and left. Tim shut the door after her and leaned back against the wall. "So?" he asked, gesturing towards Jared.

Jensen stood up and came closer so he could lower his voice. "Did Lily tell you?"

"She said you rescued Dumbo, yeah."

"I was right, Tim. His name's Jared. He _was_ being held captive. And he is a were."

"Shit." Tim rubbed his hand over his jaw. "So what are you going to do?"

"Whatever he wants to do. It's not up to me to decide, you know?" 

Tim paused for a moment and then gave a sharp shake of his head. "I know, but—you can't stay here, Jensen. I'm sorry."

He raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Look, if these guys at the circus were holding a were prisoner for months, they're not just going to shrug their shoulders when they find out he's gone."

"Yeah, but—"

"He's right."

They both turned around. Jared was sitting up in bed, rubbing at his eyes, looking like a little kid. "I should go."

"Not on your own." Jensen set his jaw. "I understand, Tim. I do. But I have to help Jared."

"You already have," Jared replied. His voice was still hoarse, but clearer than it had been last night. "You got me out." 

Jensen shook his head. "It's not enough. If they're looking for you, it's not safe for you to be here." He looked back at his brother. "And you're right: it's not safe for you guys, either. I can't put you in any danger."

"Where're you gonna take me?"

Jensen's breath caught in his throat. He moved around the bed and sat down to face Jared. "Anywhere you want. It's up to you."

Jared regarded him for a long moment. Finally, he asked softly, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because what they did to you is wrong. And I want to help."

Jared kept watching him, like he expected him to say something more. But finally he yawned and stood up. "Then we should go."

"Do you want to shower or something?" Tim asked. "You don't have to go this second."

Jared bit his lip, hesitating. "That would be great."

Jensen pointed to the door leading off the bedroom. "Shower's in there. I'll leave out some clean clothes for you and put together something for breakfast."

"This is fine," Jared said, plucking at the sweatpants that exposed half of his shins. "I'll try to be quick."

Out in the kitchen, Jensen stayed quiet while Angie, his sister-in-law, made breakfast for the kids and called them down from their rooms. Meanwhile, he and Tim packed some bagels and fruit. When they were almost done eating, Jensen finally sat down at the table. "Hey, Kyle? Lily?"

"Yeah?" they chorused.

"I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but I'm going to have to go home early. There's a problem at home I have to take care of, and it can't wait till the end of the week."

"But we were going to go to a baseball game! And you were going to see me play soccer!" 

"I know, buddy, and I'm sorry. Maybe I can come back up later in the summer, okay?"

Kyle's face scrunched up. "It's not fair."

Lily didn't say anything, just regarded Jensen seriously. When Jensen nodded at her, she nodded back solemnly. 

Angie took the kids off to the backyard while Jensen got Jared out of the bedroom. He threw his stuff in his suitcase and duffel bag, glad that he was traveling the whole way by car so he didn't have to pack too tightly. "We ready?" he asked.

Jared nodded. "Thank you," he said to Tim.

"I'm sorry we can't help you out more," he replied.

"No, you're right." Jared wrapped his arms around himself as if he was cold. "They're not very good people."

They were nearly to the truck when the front door flew open. Lily came racing out, running up to Jared and throwing her arms around his waist. She looked up at him and said, "I'm glad you're free." Then she gave him a quick hug and scampered back into the house.

Jensen wasn't surprised to see a little moisture in Jared's eyes after that.

They pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road. They were driving through the center of the small town, headed towards the interstate, when something occurred to Jensen. "Hey, Jared?"

"Yeah?" Jared had been looking out the windows, taking in everything around him, but now he turned to Jensen. 

Jensen wondered if it looked different through human eyes, but he didn't know a polite way to ask. Instead, he said, "We just passed the police station. Did you want to file a report or something?"

"No." Jared shook his head firmly. "We should just go."

"Are you sure?"

"Human cops won't care."

Jensen wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't want to press it. "I think this town's too small to have a WHR office, but Madison isn't too far away."

Jared shook his head again. "I don't want to make a big deal of it."

"Jared, they kidnapped you! They held you captive. They—" Jensen almost slammed on the brakes in the middle of the street as something occurred to him. "Shit. Are there others? In the circus?"

"No, the rest were all animals. Believe me."

"All right." Jensen hesitated, but he had promised he would respect Jared's wishes, so he continued on out of town.

They were a few miles down the road when Jared said, "The WHR has had a lot to deal with lately, anyway. This might…push things over the top."

Were-Human Relations was the federal agency charged with maintaining the Accords that had been drawn up a few decades ago when some humans started manifesting the ability to turn into animals at the full moon. They were in charge of prosecuting crimes against weres, especially those of the hate crime variety. Trapping a were in their animal form was considered the worst crime that a human could commit against a were, and it had been happening with increasing frequency over the past few years.

"How did you know about that?" Jensen asked. "The growing unrest?"

"I could hear the TV or radio if someone had it on sometimes. I'd come across a newspaper once in a while. And it stuck with me when the Wild Front said if they heard about one more were being held captive in their animal form, they'd start going after humans." Jared slouched in the seat, arms wrapped around himself. "I don't want to be responsible for that."

They rode on in silence for a while. Then Jensen cleared his throat. "I guess I can understand that, and I respect your choice. But if you change your mind at any point, you let me know, okay?"

"Okay." Jared shot him a quick glance before falling silent.

They were on the interstate when something else occurred to Jensen. "I'm just getting you out of town, you know. I'm not—I can take you wherever you want to go."

Jared let out a soft sigh. "I don't really have anywhere to go."

"You said you were from Texas, right?"

"Yeah, I was." Jared was staring out the window, and it took a moment before he went on, "I was in a foster home when they took me. I think my foster parents sold me out. I was going to age out in another month, so they probably figured it was their last chance."

"Jesus." Jensen glanced at him. "Why would they do that?"

"You saw the show, right? I'm not a normal were. That's worth a lot of money to some people."

"I don't really know what is or isn't normal."

"Any kind of were who flies without wings is _definitely_ not normal," Jared said wryly. Then he cocked his head to the side. "Which is probably why the feather works."

"The feather?"

"They hide it during the act. It's the only way I can fly, to concentrate on this feather." 

"Huh." Jensen couldn't remember seeing a feather, but then Dumbo had been pretty high up in the big tent, and he'd been watching Lily and Kyle's reactions as much as the show. 

Jared fell silent, and Jensen didn't prod. 

When Jensen glanced at him a few miles later, he was leaning against the door, sound asleep.

It was four hours into the drive when Jensen's stomach began to growl. Jared had been dozing on and off, but when Jensen pulled off the interstate and into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, he sat up straight, rubbing at his eyes. "What time's it?"

"Almost noon." Jensen put the truck in park and turned it off. "Burgers okay for lunch?"

Jared turned towards him, brow furrowed. "I don't have any money."

"It's okay, I got it." Jensen gave him a warm smile. "Wait here, all right?"

Jensen went inside and grabbed burgers for both of them. When he got back to the truck, he gestured towards a small park across the street. "C'mon, let's eat outside. Get you some fresh air."

Jared hesitated for a moment, but then he opened the door and followed Jensen to the crosswalk and across to the park. It was a tiny little green square, smaller than the parking lot of the restaurant, but there was a picnic table in the sun and no one else in the park. 

Jared tore into his burger like he hadn't eaten for days. Jensen didn't know if it was because he was a tall guy, or because the circus hadn't been feeding him enough, or what the deal was, but it felt like an invasion to ask.

After a moment, though, he did say, "We're making good time. We could drive straight through, or we could stop for the night somewhere. Let's see how we feel around dinnertime."

"So we'll be there by Tuesday?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, by Sunday night for sure. Why do you ask?"

"Oh. Tuesday is the next full moon."

"Oh! Yeah, that…that shouldn't be a problem."

"I mean, I can drive," Jared said. "Though it's been a while since I did. Obviously."

"You think you're up for it?"

"Maybe not today," Jared admitted.

"How long does it—" Jensen stopped. "Never mind."

"How long does it what?" Jared looked up at him from under his bangs.

He grimaced. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude. I just—I don't really know many weres. I don't know how these things work."

"Oh." Jared shrugged. "It's okay, you can ask."

"Does it take a long time to—I don't know, to transition. When you go back and forth."

"Do I feel the urge to pick things up with a trunk I don't have right now?" 

Jensen could feel his cheeks getting warm. "Something like that."

Jared shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "It's not like that. I mean, normally we only shift at the full moon, and then just for a day. It's only the silver that kept me from shifting back for so long."

"But that doesn't have any…lasting effects?"

"Not that I've noticed. It's not like our bodies remember, anyway. I mean, my mind is the same no matter what form I'm in, so I remember what happens around me. But my elephant body is separate from my human body. It's not like I'm going to walk on all fours or something."

"Oh, okay. Sorry if I'm being rude by asking."

"I don't mind." Jared shrugged one shoulder. "I always figured a lot of the tension between humans and weres was because they don't really understand each other. The more each of us knows about the other, the better."

They went back to eating. After a moment, Jensen said, "Can I ask you something else?"

"You've been asking me lots of things," Jared replied, the corner of his mouth curving upwards.

"Not like that. It's—look, I don't understand how you can trust me like this. To get in my truck and drive off somewhere when you don't have any money or ID or anything. How do you know I'm not going to take advantage of you somehow?"

Jared put down his burger, his gaze going distant. When he finally focused back on Jensen, he lowered his voice and asked, "Do you know how many people saw Dumbo in that circus?"

Jensen shook his head.

"Hundreds. Thousands. Most of them saw what they expected: a tame animal that somehow could fly. Some of them saw my collar, maybe after a show like you and your niece and nephew did. I could see it in their eyes. They recognized what it was and what it meant. But you're the only one who did a damn thing about it."

Jensen let out a long, slow breath. "I'm sorry, Jared. That sounds pretty terrible."

"It was, yeah. But I'd still be there if not for you, for who knows how long. So you might be a stranger, but you've given me more reason to trust you than you can imagine." 

"I appreciate that." Jensen gave him a quick smile. "We can figure out what's next once we're at my place. Lily was right, there's lots of room if you need it. You can stay as long as you want. Or hit the road if that's more your style."

"I don't know what I want," Jared said quietly.

"There's no hurry to figure it out. Summers are really quiet at home; it'll be nice to have someone around."

"Hope so," Jared said before polishing off the rest of his burger.

They drove until nightfall, alternating between the radio, Jensen's country CDs, and a little conversation. Jared didn't reveal much about himself, so Jensen talked about his own life instead: his childhood in the Dallas suburbs, the teaching job he'd gotten at a little town between Austin and Dallas, inheriting his grandparents' farm and deciding to rent out the fields but live in the house. 

"You don't mind living out there by yourself?" Jared asked after Jensen had described how it was a ten minute drive to the next house, much less to town.

"No, I kind of like it. I get enough of people during the day with my sixth graders," Jensen joked. Jared smiled, and he went on, "Besides, it's a small town. It's harder for people to get in my business this way."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's a small enough town that some people might not take to well to knowing that their kid's teacher is gay."

"Oh!"

Jensen couldn't quite interpret Jared's tone. So, heart in his throat, he asked, "Is that a problem?"

"What? No, just…" Jared glanced at him. "I wouldn't have guessed."

"Not so good with the gaydar?"

"Not really. Which is kind of ironic, considering."

"Considering…?"

Jared huffed out a breath. "I'm gay too, all right? Or at least bi. I don't know."

"You don't have to define it for me," Jensen said. "Hell, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

"I know." Jared's voice went softer. "I really appreciate that, Jensen."

"Don't worry about it." He reached over and lightly patted Jared's chest, right over his heart. "You've been through enough."

They made it farther than Jensen would have expected in one day, considering he was the only driver. But once he started yawning, he figured it was time to start looking for a motel. They found one without too much trouble, with a spacious room with two beds and a sofa, and a diner next door that didn't look half bad.

Jensen fell asleep so quickly, he didn't even get undressed. So when he woke just after sunrise, mouth sour from not brushing his teeth and pits musty from the previous day, he automatically started to shed his clothing as he stumbled towards the bathroom.

A muffled squawk caught his attention, and he paused with his hands on his button-fly, looking over his shoulder to see Jared hastily turning over to bury his face in his pillows. 

Jensen chuckled, but he did snag his duffle bag on the way into the bathroom and close the door before he finished undressing.

When he was done showering, he fished out another clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt, tossing them onto Jared's bed. "Here. Clean clothes."

"Thanks." Jared sat up, yawning. "How much farther today?"

"Probably four, five hours. Enough time to make a grocery stop before we get there, maybe a Walmart run to get you some clothes that fit a little better."

"How can I pay you back?" Jared asked. "Are there chores I can do or something?"

Jensen shrugged. "Told you, I don't really run the farm. Jim does, and he manages pretty well by himself. Don't worry about it."

"Jensen, I can't—it's too much." Jared bit his lip. "I owe you too much."

"You don't owe me anything, Jared. I'm just trying to help you out until you can get back on your feet."

Jared regarded him for a moment longer, and then he finally nodded. "All right. Thanks."

His voice didn't sound completely sincere, but Jensen wasn't going to push it. He could imagine this kid had more than a few trust issues, and he knew all he could do was show him that he meant what he said. "I'll get us some breakfast while you shower," he said. "Then we can get on the road."

As Jensen had guessed, it was three and a half hours later when they were pulling off the highway, four and a half hours when they had loaded up at Walmart and were rolling down the long driveway to the farm. He felt nervous for a moment and then shook his head at himself. It wasn't like he was bringing Jared home, not really. He was just offering a place to stay until he got back on his feet. 

Still, as Jared climbed out of the truck and looked around, Jensen was nearly holding his breath.

The white frame farmhouse was pretty standard central Texas, down to the petunias his mom had planted out front. The bluebonnets had unfortunately already bloomed for the summer. The red barn out back was well kept and freshly painted thanks to his tenant's hard work, and the wheat fields were a nice, crisp shade of green. Towards the back of the property, the land started to slope away towards the stream below, where willows rustled in the breeze.

Jared turned to him, grinning wide. "It's beautiful."

Jensen grinned back. "Thanks. Welcome to the Ackles Farm."

They got Jared settled in the spare room on the first floor. Jensen hauled his clothes into the laundry room right away, keen to have everything put away as soon as possible. Groceries went in the fridge and cupboard, and they sat down to lunch with the deli sandwiches and chips they'd bought.

Jensen had no idea what to do next.

It was Jared who hesitantly said, "D'you think I could walk around?"

"Oh, sure!" Jensen stood up. "I can give you a tour."

"That'd be nice." Jared stood up, fidgeting with the edge of his new Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. "I want to know where I should go tomorrow so I'm not in your way."

"You're not gonna be in my way, Jared. It's a big house."

"No, tomorrow night. When I shift."

"Oh, right." Jensen gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I forgot about that."

"It's okay." 

"Is there anything you need? Anything that would make you more comfortable?"

Jared shrugged. "Can I see the barn?"

"Yeah, sure." They walked out the back door and across the back yard. Jensen was going to have to get out the lawn mower pretty soon; it must have rained while he was away. "Jim uses it to store his tractor and stuff, but he keeps it clean. There's some hay bales in the back. Not much else."

"As long as there's room to spread out."

They entered the barn, and Jensen spread his arms wide. "Voila."

Jared looked around for a moment, taking in the high ceilings and the broad floor. Then he nodded. "This should do, yeah."

"Do you need anything? Food or water, or I don't know. Hay? Stop me if I'm being ignorant."

Jared shook his head with a slight smile. "Honestly, I think I'm just gonna sleep. The moon comes up right after sunset, and by Wednesday evening I'll be back."

"Okay. But if I can help you at all, let me know."

"Yeah. Thanks, Jensen." 

Back in the house, Jared asked to borrow Jensen's computer. Jensen let him go at it at the desk in the kitchen while he worked on the laundry and put away the rest of the groceries. He hadn't used the grill out back in a while, but he'd bought a few steaks and thought he might give that a try tonight. He was pretty sure elephants didn't eat meat, and a growing boy like Jared would probably appreciate the protein.

"How old are you, anyway?" he asked the next time he entered the kitchen.

"Nineteen." Jared glanced at the calendar. "Twenty in a couple of weeks."

Jensen paused, remembering what Jared had said about his foster parents. "Wait, so they had you for over a _year_?"

"Yeah." Jared briefly rubbed his upper arms. "They didn't come up with the Dumbo act until over the winter. But it started to make them a lot of money, and then they started advertising it a lot more." He gestured at the computer screen. "They've canceled their shows for the last couple of days. Not just me, but the whole circus. Some kind of animal illness, their website says."

"Well, I hope they go out of business," Jensen growled.

When he looked up, Jared was staring at him with a soft expression. "Thank you, Jensen. For getting me out of there. I hadn't realized it had been that long." He rubbed his arms again. "I guess I'd given up hope that I was ever going to get out."

"Aw, hell." Jensen came up to him and held out his arms. He was surprised when Jared instantly bounded up, hugging him fiercely. He embraced Jared right back, trying not to think about how long it had been since the kid had had human contact like this.

When they pulled apart, they exchanged sheepish smiles before Jared sat down again. "Anyway, I just wanted to see what had happened."

"Knock yourself out." Jensen gestured at the computer. "Must be other things you want to catch up on." 

Jensen spent the rest of the afternoon puttering around the house, doing laundry and putting away clothing and making up the spare room bed for Jared. He made sure to frequently pass through the kitchen as he did so, not because he wanted to look over Jared's shoulder, but in case the kid needed anything.

Jared was quiet at dinner, and Jensen didn't pry. He hadn't bothered with the steaks tonight, figuring Jared would appreciate them more after the full moon. He did make sure to set a full table, though, and he was pleased when Jared took a second helping of chicken and of the salad.

Finally, Jared pushed his plate back. "Thanks. That was really good."

"Nothing fancy, I know."

"No, but it's the first real meal I've had in…a long time." 

"Well, there'll be steaks waiting for you on Wednesday," Jensen said with a smile.

Jared's cheeks went slightly pink, and he looked away. "That sounds awesome."

"Good." Jensen cleared his throat. "Can I ask you something?" When Jared nodded, he went on, "Did you—did they keep the collar on you the whole time?"

"Pretty much, yeah. They took it off once, but then they realized they had to wait till the next full moon to have their elephant back." Jared grimaced. "So after that, it was on the whole time."

"Shit." 

"Yeah. I would dream sometimes about eating real food again. So this was really good."

Jensen raised an eyebrow. "Want to follow it up with some ice cream?"

The full smile on Jared's face put dimples in his cheeks that had Jensen grinning back at him.

It wasn't until later that night, when Jensen was getting ready for bed, that he realized what the swooping feeling in his stomach upon seeing Jared smile meant. And then he firmly told himself to forget about it. He was _not_ going to crush on the poor guy when he was just starting to get over his traumatic experience. He was certainly not going to give Jared any reason to think that he expected some kind of favors in exchange for helping him out. He was going to be a courteous host and nothing more.

He kept telling himself that as he tried to fall asleep.

It was just before dinner on Tuesday when Jensen heard a vehicle pulling up the long gravel driveway. He checked his phone, but Jim had told him yesterday that he didn't expect to be on Jensen's land for a few days, including the barn. Jared was out there now, making whatever kind of preparations he felt he needed to make. Shrugging to himself, Jensen went out on the porch to see who it was.

A large, black pickup truck was pulling up to the front of the house. As soon as it rolled to a stop, three men climbed out. One of them walked over to Jensen's truck and examined the license plate, then nodded to the others.

Jensen frowned. "Can I help you?"

They didn't respond, but split up, two of them going around the back of the house. "Hey, whoa!" Jensen called after them. "This is private property."

"We're looking for someone else's property," the third man said, the one who had been driving. He was shorter than Jensen, but more muscular, and the gun at his hip gave him yet another advantage that suddenly raised the hairs at the back of Jensen's neck.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jensen replied. He had a gun of his own inside the house if need be, but he would rather it didn't come to that. He was starting to have a bad feeling that he knew what this was about.

"Sure you do." The man came forward, and then it was too late, because he had already drawn his weapon and pointed it at Jensen. "Where is he?"

Jensen froze. "What the hell is this?"

"You took something that belongs to our boss. We're here to take it back."

There was a sick feeling rising in Jensen's stomach. "I don't know what you—"

"The elephant. Your truck was there at the circus the night it went missing. Friend of a friend traced the plates, and here you are. So where is he?"

"None of your business," Jensen retorted. 

"He was none of your business," the man shot back. "And yet you went and stole our boss's property."

"He's not property! You kidnapped him and held him captive for a _year_. When the WHR finds out what you did—"

"The WHR should all be chained up like the animals they represent."

Jensen saw red, and he would have charged forward if not for the gun pointed at him. Instead, he growled, "You need to get off my property right now."

The man raised the gun higher. "You need to get inside while we find him."

Not seeing much choice, Jensen slowly backed up the steps and into the house, trying not to take his eyes off the gunman. He was forced through the living room and into the kitchen, and then the gunman was looking through the window over the sink. "Ah, there they are," he said.

Jensen looked up, horrified to see another man with a gun marching Jared towards the house. Jared's hands were up, his expression terrified, and Jensen's heart broke at the sight.

They reached the back door, and when they entered, Jared's eyes widened even further when he saw Jensen at gunpoint. "No," he said quietly. "No, please, let him go."

"Quiet," the man in front of Jensen snapped. "This man's a thief, and he'll get what's coming to him."

"Don't hurt him," Jared pleaded. "Just take me."

"No!" Jensen whirled to face him. "Jared, you can't do that."

"I'm the one they want. There's no need to hurt anyone else."

"We'll see," said the man who'd been holding Jensen. "Where'd Paul go?"

"He's getting the big truck with the trailer and the cage," the other man replied. 

Jensen's hands clenched into fists. The man behind Jared must have seen his murderous expression, because he shifted his aim to Jensen. "Watch it," he warned.

"Looks like we've got some time on our hands till we collar it again and take it back with us."

"The fuck you will." Jensen took an angry step forward despite the gun aimed at him. "You're not taking _him_ anywhere."

"Sit down and shut up." The man gestured with the gun at the kitchen chair behind Jensen.

Jensen glared at him, but there was nothing he could do. He sat down in the chair. A moment later, the first man grabbed his arms and pulled them behind the back of the chair. Then his wrists were tied together, even as he struggled against it. 

"Might as well put this one in the cage now, Carter," the shorter man said, nudging his gun against Jared's side. "Moon's gonna rise soon."

"Nah, leave him out for now," Carter replied. "It'll be easier to put the collar on him if he's outside."

Jensen strained forward against the ropes. "Don't you touch him!"

Jared had gone pale, shivering as if he was cold. "Jensen," he hissed. "Just be quiet."

"Listen to him," Carter said. "We need him, after all. We don't need you."

Jensen did go quiet at that. The man behind him checked to be sure that he was secured to the chair, and then they both took Jared outside.

As soon as he was alone, Jensen started looking around for a way to free himself. If he could inch the chair along the floor, maybe he could reach the drawer where the knives were. Or hey, the chair was pretty old and rickety; maybe he could wriggle around on it until it broke apart.

But a moment later, Carter came back inside, gun at the ready. "Almost time," he said, holding up a switchblade and flicking it open.

Jensen shrank back, but he only cut the rope at Jensen's wrists. "C'mon."

Jensen was marched out the front door at gunpoint. The sun was starting to set behind the house, so the moon would be rising in front of them soon. There was another large pickup parked next to the first, with a circus trailer attached to the back. Next to it, Paul and the second man had their guns aimed at Jared, who was backed up against the trailer, warily eying something that the second man had in his hands. 

When Jensen realized it was the same large collar that he'd removed from Jared's neck only three days ago, his blood ran cold. 

A breeze blew across the yard, riffling the humid air. Jared suddenly looked up, a tremor passing across him. He took a step forward and then another, the guns tracking him the whole time.

He gave Jensen a helpless look, and then he was gone.

The air shimmered, and Jensen's ears popped. A stronger breeze whipped past, and then there was an elephant looming over all of them, huge ears fluttering in the wind.

"Damn," Carter muttered. Then he shook his head. "All right boys, get the collar on him." 

"No!" Jensen shouted, lunging forward.

A moment later, there was a hand gripping his bicep and a gun at his head.

Jared the elephant drew his head back, eyes wide. He shuffled his huge feet where he stood, but his gaze didn't leave Jensen. When Paul gestured, he even knelt down, bowing his head as they slung the collar around his neck.

When they closed the shiny new padlock around the latch of the collar, Jensen shuddered.

"Good," Carter called out. "Get over here, Ted."

At Carter's direction, Ted took over watching Jensen while Carter supervised Paul, who was taking out a rope and attaching it to a ring at the side of the collar. "All right," Carter said again. "Get him in the trailer."

"What about this one?"

Jensen felt the gun nudge him in his back, and he held his breath.

Carter shook his head. "We could take him with to make sure the other one behaves, but we can't keep him indefinitely."

A moment later, there was a hand pressing on Jensen's shoulder as his captor kicked at the backs of his knees. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, then froze as he felt the gun at the back of his head.

There was an angry trumpeting sound, and Jensen looked up to see Jared trying to rise up onto his hind legs, fighting against Paul's pull on the rope attached to his collar. Carter aimed his gun up at Jared. "Shut it."

Ted cocked the gun, and Jensen shuddered. There had to be something he could do to save himself, but he was out of ideas. And the worst of it was, Jared was about to be hauled into that trailer and taken away again, probably never to be free. 

There was a yelp, and then a louder trumpet. Jared had lifted his head and snapped it sideways so that Paul had gone flying at the end of the rope. He landed on the grass of the lawn, rolling over and over until he came up hard against a tree.

Jared had already turned and lashed out with his trunk, swatting away the gun that Carter was aiming at him. He reared up onto his hind legs, and when he came back down, the earth shook.

Carter backed up, hands out in front of him, muttering, "Take it easy there. Just let me get to the tranq gun. Take it easy."

"Hold it right there, Dumbo!" The man behind Jensen jammed his gun against the back of Jensen's neck. "You stop moving or I'll shoot."

"He's gonna shoot anyway," Jensen called out. "Get him!"

Jared started towards Carter, and Jensen flattened himself on the ground before rolling back into the legs of the gunman. He heard an "Oof!", and then a shot went off that thumped into the ground next to his head. But he hadn't managed to knock the guy over, and he was probably aiming at Jensen again, who was conveniently right at his feet—

There was a shriek, and the man was gone. Jared had shoved him back with one large foot, sending him flying against the porch steps. Jensen barely took that in before there was something around his waist, and he instinctively started to fight it.

Jared sounded a warning, and Jensen realized it was his trunk, hauling him to his feet. He let Jared set him upright and then patted the rough skin of his trunk. "I'm okay."

The gun had dropped to the ground, and Jensen scooped it up. He looked around to see that Carter had made a break for the truck, and he didn't want to know what kind of artillery he was going to pull out. He fired a warning shot at the hood of the truck, and Carter ducked and stumbled. "Freeze!" Jensen shouted. "Do not move!"

Carter paused, hands in the air. "You're not gonna shoot a man in the back." 

Jared made an angry sound and started to move forward. Jensen put a hand on his leg. "Hold on, Jared."

The rough skin beneath his hand moved with Jared's shudder, but he stayed still.

Jensen took careful aim at Carter, ready to demand that he drop to his knees.

And then something hit Jensen in the back, and he went flying, the gun falling out of his hand. He rolled over in time to realize that Paul hadn't been as knocked out as he appeared, and then they were fighting hand-to-hand. 

Jared rumbled overhead, his trunk reaching out to swat away the gun. Jensen got in a good punch, but then his head was snapping back as Paul got in a good one of his own. They wrestled across the grass, kicking and punching, and Jensen couldn't spare a glance for Jared or Carter; all his attention focused on the man he was fighting.

He was just maybe getting the upper hand when there was a shriek and the sound of crunching metal. He looked up to see Jared stomping on the hood of the truck, crushing the right front corner. Carter was racing around the back of the truck, and Jensen shouted out to warn Jared. 

Jared was focused on the truck, and Jensen wormed his way out of Paul's grip and started to run after Carter. The threat of the tranq gun was foremost in his mind. Not that bullets couldn't hurt Jared as well, but these guys weren't going to shoot Jared unless they absolutely had to.

A bullet whined past Jensen's head, and he yelped. 

Jared turned around, and then he was charging forward, past Jensen. Jensen whirled to see him advancing on Paul, who started to raise the gun but then, faced with an angry elephant charging at him, decided to run.

Jared slowed to a stop after a few more earth-shaking paces, trumpeting angrily after Paul. When he looked back over his shoulder, he grew louder, waving his trunk at Jensen.

On pure instinct, Jensen ducked into a crouch. A second later, he heard the whine of a tranq dart go over his head.

Jared charged back towards him, clearly furious. Off to the side, Carter was reloading the tranq gun, and Jensen raced towards him to try and tear it away from him.

Then something wrapped around his waist, and he realized that Jared had picked him right up and was carrying him away. "Jared!" he shouted, but Jared had broken into a lumbering run, headed around the house and towards the back forty. 

Another tranq dart whizzed past them, and Jensen flailed in the grip of Jared's trunk. They were well past the barn, on their way to the back of the property. Jensen had no idea how fast an elephant could run, but if Carter got in his truck—if the truck still worked—and came after them, surely that was faster than Jared could go.

And then he remembered what was at the back edge of the property, how steeply the bluff dropped down to the creek, and he started shouting Jared's name and trying to get him to stop. 

He sensed Jared falter in his pace once he saw the steep drop-off in front of them. There was a flapping sound, and Jensen looked up to see Jared's ears extended. But hadn't he said that he needed a feather to fly? What if he couldn't—

They sailed out over the bluff, Jared's ears fully extended and his trunk wrapping Jensen up tight. Heart in his throat, Jensen watched the ground rise up to meet them…and then fall away again. Jared was flying higher than he ever had in the circus tent, out here under the light of the moon. 

He brought them over the creek and well into the next farm before he brought them back down to earth. Even if Carter's truck worked, he wouldn't be able to follow them here. Jensen patted his trunk when he finally released Jensen to the ground. "That was amazing, Jay!" 

The corners of Jared's mouth were curving up, and he reared back on his hind legs.  
When he came back down, Jensen patted one leg. "You know, we really are going to have to call the WHR this time."

Jared nodded, even though he looked worried. 

"It'll be all right, Jared. I know the farmer back here. We can use his phone and have the cops meet us at my place."

It was midnight before they were back at the Ackles Farm. Jared hadn't been able to fly back across the creek, adrenaline apparently being even more important than a feather. So it took a while to walk until they could find a place to cross, since Jensen's neighbor didn't have a vehicle large enough to carry Jared, and Jensen refused to leave his side. 

He did at least borrow a pair of bolt cutters from his neighbor and get that damn collar off once more. Jared wrapped his trunk around him in thanks, and Jensen patted him in response. "You're welcome."

Ted had come to against the porch steps right as the police pulled up. They soon nabbed Carter and Paul, fleeing on foot. Then the WHR agents arrived, and one of them recognized Carter right off the bat. "Oh, this makes my whole day," Agent Rhodes said as she put him in handcuffs and handed him off to a junior agent. "Maybe even my whole month. Makes up for having to pull double duty on the full moon."

"Who is he?" Jensen asked.

"He's been wanted for were trafficking for a couple of years now. Your circus isn't the only organization out there keeping people collared who shouldn't be." She squinted up at Jared. "We'll need you to come into our office in Austin as soon as you can. Probably not till Thursday, am I right?"

Jared slowly nodded.

"Yeah, my partner's at home, holed up inside. They put were and human partners together as much as they can, given that's what the organization is supposed to be about. Means we learn a lot about each other, too."

"What kind of were is your partner?"

"Briana? She's a chipmunk." Agent Rhodes shook her head. "She usually stays inside at the moon. Most predators wouldn't know that she was only an animal once a month."

There were so many questions Jensen wanted to ask, but he felt weird in front of Jared. "We can come in on Thursday, yeah. Just let us know where to go."

"Sure thing. Hopefully we'll have gotten confessions from these bozos in the meantime. Say, where was the circus last?"

"Up in Wisconsin, not far from Madison."

"Okay, I'll contact our office up there to take them into custody as well." She looked up at Jared. "You don't have to worry. No one else is going to be coming after you."

"Is there—what about—" Jensen cleared his throat and tried again. "There's some concern that the were community might be upset if this becomes public. The Wolves in particular."

"Yes, well, they've been making threats for some time," she replied tartly. "But they don't speak for all weres. And given how long we've been looking for these creeps, I think everyone's just going to be grateful they've been caught."

Jared trumpeted in agreement, holding out his trunk at waist level. Agent Rhodes grinned and shook it with her hand. "Pleasure to meet you both, and I'll see you again soon."

The cops stayed for hours, mapping out the crime scene and gathering evidence. Jared eventually went off to the barn to sleep, but Jensen sat on the porch swing, watching the cops and agents work. He couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened, about the terror on Jared's face when he was being brought to the house, or his own fear at the feel of the gun at his back. They'd come so close tonight to some truly awful things happening, and it was going to take a while for Jensen to process it all.

Law enforcement finally left as the sun was starting to come up. Jensen stumbled inside and fell into bed, fully clothed. His mind was still spinning, but his body was exhausted. Maybe after a short nap, he'd get up to check on Jared and make sure he was doing okay.

He woke up with a start. Early evening sunlight was streaming in through the windows, but that wasn't what had awakened him. A moment later, there was another clatter, and Jensen froze. Someone was in the house.

All he had at hand was a baseball bat, but he grabbed it and crept down the stairs. Poking his head around the doorway, he sighed in relief.

Jared was pulling out pots and pans from the cupboard, and he looked up, startled. "Um, hi. Guess you were pretty tired."

Jensen blinked at him. "Is the moon gone?"

"Sometimes it doesn't last for twenty-four hours. I don't know why." Jared shrugged. "I was hungry, though. I thought it would be okay…?"

"Yeah, of course." Jensen gestured at the fridge. "Knock yourself out."

"Thanks." Jared was staring at him, and for a moment Jensen wondered if he still had the bat raised in the air.

Then Jared was striding towards him, long arms coming up to wrap around his shoulders and pull him close.

Jensen automatically reciprocated, encircling Jared's torso for what he assumed would be a brief, manly hug. After a moment, though, he realized Jared wasn't letting go, and so he reached up to pat the back of Jared's head. Jared dropped his head so his face was resting against Jensen's neck, breath warm on his skin.

It felt good. It felt _really_ good, and Jensen's hands almost started moving of their own accord through Jared's hair and along his back. But he made himself pull back, slowly, ducking his head to look Jared in the eye. "Hey, you okay?"

Jared nodded, eyes tinged with red. "Yeah," he sniffed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just—" He took in a deep breath, chest heaving alongside Jensen's. "I don't think it really hit me until I saw you. Everything that happened yesterday. How they almost…"

"Hey, shhh, it's okay. I'm fine. Thanks to you and your other self."

Jared gave him a tiny smile. "He's still me. I don't think of my elephant as separate."

"Okay. Well, then, thank _you_ for everything that you did yesterday."

"I didn't do anything."

"You saved us, Jared. You _flew_. I thought you couldn't just do that?"

"I thought so, too." Jared's hands were still on Jensen's shoulders, and he squeezed them lightly. "Guess I just needed the right motivation."

They kept looking at each other, so close that Jared's features were almost blurring. Jared's gaze darted downwards, and then he was leaning forward slightly. He paused, as if waiting for something, and then tightened his grip on Jensen's shoulders and pulled him into a kiss.

Jensen leaned into it instinctively, even moving his lips against Jared's once he realized Jared was just kind of standing there. Then he realized why, that the poor kid had been captive for the past year in a non-human form, and maybe he'd never even kissed anyone before that, and shit, Jensen needed to back out of this right the hell now.

When he disentangled himself, Jared's cheeks were already turning pink. "I'm sorry," he said, stepping back and wrapping his arms around himself. "I thought that you—God, I'm so dumb."

"No, no. Not at all." Jensen reached up to touch his cheek, but Jared turned away. "Jared, you're a great guy. You're sweet, and you're funny, and you're gorgeous, and you're stronger than I can comprehend. But this is all new to you." He spread his arms wide, trying to indicate not just himself, but the wide world out there. "And I'm not—I don't want to take advantage of you."

"'M not that that much younger than you," Jared muttered.

"Four years is kind of a lot at this age," Jensen said gently. "And it's not just that. I don't want you to feel like…like you're beholden to me or something. That you owe me anything."

Jared glared at him. "You think that's what this is? That I'm trying to pay you back with my body or something?"

The shiver of heat that ran over Jensen at those words was totally _not_ appropriate, he sternly told himself. "Not like that. Just—I don't want to put any pressure on you."

"It was just a kiss," Jared muttered. "Not like I was trying to jump your bones."

Another flash of heat hit him, and Jensen was sure his own face was getting red. From Jared's narrowed eyes, he was pretty sure of it. He cleared his throat. "Listen. I'll tell you what. We need some food. We need to rest more. And tomorrow, we need to go into Austin and give our statements. That's a lot to work though, all right? I'm going to help you out as much as you need, and you can stay here as long as you want. And if you decide in a while that this is still what you want…" He pointed back and forth between them. "Then we can talk."

Jared pulled his lower lip between his teeth, and Jensen almost let out a groan. A slow smile spread over Jared's face. "That means it's not just me. Right?"

Jensen let out a sigh. "No, it's not. But that isn't the point, all right?"

Jared opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it again. Arms falling to his sides, he gave a determined nod. "All right. You want breakfast?"

Jensen blinked at the fast change of conversation. "Isn't it more like dinner?"

"Whatever. You have eggs and I can make omelets."

Jensen gestured at the stove. "Then get to it."

It turned out that Jared did make a pretty mean omelet. He ate two of them all by himself, while Jensen polished off another. Jensen did the dishes, and by the time he was done, Jared had already headed off to the guest room to get some well-needed rest.

Jensen flicked through TV channels for a while, the volume on low. The news had a brief mention of a were smuggling ring that had been broken in Texas, but thankfully there were no details or images with the story.

Right after the newscaster went on to local sports, Jensen's phone rang. He dove for it—the old landline was still the best way to reach him out here, but there was a second handset in the master bedroom, next to where Jared was sleeping. "Hello?"

"Hi, little brother."

He closed his eyes. "Hey, Tim." 

"So, anything exciting going on over there? You got home all right, I take it."

"Yeah, we're fine. I, uh, I guess you saw the news?"

"We all did. Thank God the kids aren't old enough to understand what it meant. I take it that was you?"

"Yeah. You were right to tell us to go. They were not messing around. I'm so glad they didn't find us at your place." He blinked. "They didn't come looking for us or anything, did they?"

"No, they didn't."

"Thank God for that."

Tim's voice softened. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Just, it's been a rough day or two here."

"How's the kid?"

"Seems to be okay. He's resting now. I think it took a lot out of him."

"Well, I'm glad you're there for him. Oh, and Lily says hi. To both of you."

Jensen grinned. "Tell her hi back. And that Uncle Jensen loves her and Kyle."

He hung up and sat back down on the couch. The TV had switched to a game show, and he flipped channels until he found an old Western. He wasn't really paying attention to it, but at least it was somewhere to let his mind wander, other than how he'd nearly died yesterday.

Before he knew it, he found himself climbing the stairs and peeking into the guest room. Jared was under the sheet, on his stomach facing away from Jensen. His bare arms were sprawled out on either side of him, the long lines of his legs visible under the thin sheet.

Jensen quickly turned away and went to his room. God, he didn't need to be perving on the kid. Yeah, he was good-looking, and no, four years wasn't that much of a difference. But Jared had a lot to figure out for himself, and latching onto the guy who'd rescued him was probably not the healthiest thing for him right now.

Jensen had the feeling he was going to have to keep telling himself that. And maybe at some point, it would actually stick. 

The trip to Austin went better than Jensen expected. Jared was nervous, of course, and so was Jensen. Neither of them had ever given a statement to law enforcement before, much less Federal officers.

But Agent Rhodes and her partner, Agent Buckmaster, were very easy to talk to. They started with Jared, but they let Jensen stay in the room at Jared's request. It was a long story, all about his kidnapping from his foster home and his time in captivity at the circus. It made Jensen's blood boil to hear it, but he kept his anger inside, ready to nod encouragingly any time Jared looked at him.

A couple of hours passed, including breaks for water and the bathroom. Jared's voice was getting weaker, but he insisted on going until the end. Finally, he said, "And then he showed up," gesturing at Jensen. "And he saved me."

They smiled at each other, and then Jensen took over. His story was much shorter, about how he'd noticed the collar and decided to break Jared out. He explained how Jared hadn't wanted to go to the authorities, and how he'd offered to take him anywhere, but that he really had nowhere to go.

When he started talking about the arrival of Carter and the other men, the agents started asking more specific questions. Jensen described what he had seen, Jared interjecting every now and then. He had to pause a few times to catch his breath, thinking about how close they had come.

At some point, Jared asked, "Does the Wolf Council know about this?"

"We contacted them late last night, after the moon was done," Agent Buckmaster said. "They're aware of the situation."

"Are they—are they upset about it?"

"Hell yeah, they're upset," Agent Rhodes said. "This is exactly the kind of thing the Accords are supposed to prevent."

Jared shrank back in his seat, going quiet.

Jensen cleared his throat. "Are they going to start anything over this? They made some noise recently about having had enough with being mistreated by humans."

"We talked them down," Agent Buckmaster said. "They even said they could keep the Wild Front in line. "She tapped her note pad. "Your testimony will help, you know. It helps a lot that it was a human who recognized what was going on and rescued Jared. Plus the way you were willing to put yourself on the line for him…I don't think there'll be any trouble."

"Is that why you didn't go to the authorities sooner?" Agent Rhodes asked. When Jared nodded, she sighed. "We're going to have a talk with the Wolves, let them know they need to tone down their rhetoric or they risk making things worse."

After that, it was pretty much over. The agents had brought in pizza at some point, and they'd polished off three pizzas among the four of them. Jared looked exhausted, and Jensen wasn't surprised that he slept most of the way back to the farm.

When Jensen pulled up in front of the house, he lightly shook Jared's shoulder. "Hey. We're home."

"Huh?" Jared blinked a few times before sitting up. "Oh. Good."

"How're you doing? You fell asleep so fast, I didn't get a chance to ask."

"I'm all right. Tired, but I guess you could tell that."

"Yeah, I bet. Must not have been easy, talking about all of that."

Jared sighed. "I don't know. It was the first time I got to talk to anyone about it, you know? Everything that's happened to me. Kinda felt good."

"I'm glad." Jensen reached out to put a hand on his arm. "You did great, by the way. Answered all of their questions, never faltered once. Not that I'm surprised."

"You keep saying things like that."

He was surprised by the reproachful tone of Jared's voice. "Like what?"

"Like I'm this big hero or something. I'm not."

"You saved my ass," Jensen joked. When he didn't get a response, he squeezed Jared's arm. "Hey. What do you mean?"

"I've been in a circus for the past year. And I couldn't—I didn't even get myself out of there." His voice lowered. "I didn't even really try."

"Jared." He waited until Jared was looking at him, at least from under the fringe of his hair. "I have no idea what it's been like for you. Not even after what you told us today. I can't even imagine." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "But it's not your fault, all right? Not any of it. You didn't ask to be held prisoner. And to be sitting there like you did today, telling your story to a bunch of strangers…that means you're pretty strong. That's why I keep saying what I'm saying."

Jared held his eyes for a long moment. Finally he asked, "You really think that I'm strong?"

"Yeah, I do." He reached up and brushed Jared's hair back from his face. "And I know you might have to give yourself some time to believe it. There's a lot you've got to process. Maybe one of those therapists Agent Buckmaster talked about could help."

"Maybe." Jared turned his head, pushing his cheek into Jensen's hand. "You're helping a lot, too, you know."

"I hope so." Jensen let his fingers tangle in Jared's hair for just a moment before reluctantly moving away. "Now let's get inside, all right? That pizza was a long time ago."

Jared's dimpled smile had Jensen grinning right back at him.

After dinner, they went out to sit on the front porch swing, cans of Coke in hand. The sun was still some distance from setting, but it was hot inside the house. Besides, Jensen needed to look out over his front yard and reassure himself that there were no traffickers with guns lurking there.

Jared rocked the swing back and forth with one long leg, his bare foot pressed to the faded red boards of the porch. Jensen closed his eyes and let the gentle movement soothe him.

After a moment, there was a creak, and the swing shifted beneath Jensen. He opened his eyes to see that Jared had moved closer, arm extended across the back of the swing. For a second, Jensen thought about meeting him halfway. But then his common sense got the better of him, and he looked out across the yard.

Jared gave a soft sigh and resumed pushing the swing. "You said that after today, if I knew what I wanted, we could talk about it."

"I said after a while, not after one day."

"Fine." Jared threw his hands in the air, the swing rocking with the motion. "Then I'll wait till you're ready."

Jensen snorted. "It's not me I'm worried about."

"If you're worried you're taking advantage of me, you're not." Jared shifted sideways to face him, his knee resting on the seat between them. "I like you, Jensen. I like you a lot. I know that if I'd met you under any other circumstances, I'd like you just as much."

Jensen wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so he kept quiet.

After a while, Jared sighed. "It's because I don't have any experience, isn't it?"

"What? No!" Jensen stared at him. "I don't care about that."

"But you do. It's the excuse that you're using."

"It's not what you haven't done, Jared, it's what you have done. Or what's been done to you. You were just saying how you haven't been able to control what happens to you for a whole year."

"And you're saying I'm not in control here?" Jared shifted closer, the swing swaying with the motion. He lowered his voice and went on, "That I have no say in what's going on?"

Jensen swallowed hard. This close, he could smell Jared's sweat, could see it pooling in the hollow of his neck. 

"Just let me…" Jared leaned closer. "Please."

Jensen couldn't look away. He'd put together some really good reasons why this was a bad idea, but with Jared so close…

Then he was even closer, and their lips were touching. Jared seemed to have already learned from earlier, because he was softly slanting his mouth against Jensen's, dropping feather-light kisses as he slowly moved his lips back and forth.

The dry edge of Jared's lip caught against Jensen's, and Jensen groaned and leaned into it, one hand coming up to card through Jared's hair. He kept it slow and easy, and thank God Jared didn't seem to be in any more of a rush than he already had been. 

Jared's hand was at the back of Jensen's neck, long fingers stroking the fine hairs there. A shiver ran down Jensen's back, and Jared flattened his hand against Jensen's neck. Jensen let him keep their mouths pressed together for a moment longer, and then he slowly drew back.

Jared's eyes were dark, his lips already kiss-swollen. Jensen shivered at the sight. A slow smile spread across Jared's face, and he dropped one more kiss on Jensen's mouth before moving back. "That okay?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that." Jensen realized how husky his voice had gone, and he cleared his throat.

"That was definitely okay," Jared grinned.

Jensen bit his lip. "I'm still gonna worry, you know."

"But you're not saying no."

"This is going to go slowly." He pointed back and forth between them. "Whatever 'this' is."

"Your virtue is safe with me," Jared said solemnly. 

Jensen stuck his tongue out, and Jared cackled. When he was done, he said, "Seriously, though, Jensen. I'm old enough to make up my own mind. I _want_ to be able to make my own choices for once. And I know this might not work out. Who knows, I might be out of here in a couple of weeks. But I don't know, I just…" He caressed the nape of Jensen's neck once more before letting go. "This feels right."

Jensen nodded slowly. "I'm trusting you to tell me the truth, though. That if you feel uncomfortable, or if you don't think it feels right anymore, that you'll tell me. Don't feel obligated to be with me."

"Same goes for you," Jared said, lifting his chin. "Don't play along with me because you're afraid you're going to hurt me."

It was the first time the thought had occurred to Jensen, and it took him aback. "Yeah, okay," he said slowly. "I promise."

"Good." Jared leaned forward, and they sealed it with a kiss.

Then he leaned sideways, arm around Jensen and head resting on his shoulder. He resumed rocking the swing, and Jensen settled into it. He even enjoyed the heat of Jared's body along his side. 

"Nice sunset," he said after a few minutes.

"Mmm-hmm," Jared agreed.

They sat outside until the last of the light was gone. Then they went inside, kissed goodnight, and went to their rooms. 

For their first anniversary, Jared took Jensen flying.


End file.
